Shell makes a deepwater discovery in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico
THE HAGUE -- Shell Offshore Inc., a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, has announced a significant discovery at the Blacktip prospect in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Evaluation is ongoing and appraisal planning is underway to further delineate the discovery and define development options.
“Blacktip is Shell’s second material discovery in the Perdido Corridor and is part of a continuing exploration strategy to add competitive deep water options to extend our heartlands,” said Andy Brown, upstream director for Royal Dutch Shell.
Blacktip is a Wilcox discovery in the Perdido thrust belt and was discovered in the Alaminos Canyon Block 380, approximately 30 mi from the Perdido platform and Whale discovery. The find presents the opportunity to augment existing production in the Perdido area where Shell’s Great White, Silvertip and Tobago fields are already producing.
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Drilling at the initial Blacktip well is still underway and has to date encountered more than 400 ft net oil pay with good reservoir and fluid characteristics. The well is currently being deepened to further assess the structure’s potential. Blacktip is operated by Shell (52.375%) and co-owned by Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (20%), Equinor Gulf of Mexico LLC (19.125%), and Repsol E&P USA Inc. (8.5%).
“We are very pleased with this discovery which confirms the potential in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico and underpins Equinor’s strategy to exploit prolific basins and deepen in core areas,” says Bjørn Inge Braathen, senior V.P. for exploration in North America.
This discovery in a Shell heartland adds to the company’s Paleogene exploration success in the Perdido area. Through exploration, Shell has added more than 1 Bboe in the last decade in the Gulf of Mexico. The company’s global deep-water production is on track to exceed 900,000 boed by 2020, from already discovered, established areas.
Equinor has been present in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico since 2004 with exploration prospects and interests in eight producing fields in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and two in development. Equinor is the owner and operator of the Titan facility.
Equinor is planning to drill the Monument Paleogene prospect in the US Gulf of Mexico in 2019.
In addition to its offshore portfolio in the US Gulf of Mexico, Equinor has extensive U.S. onshore operations in the Eagle Ford (Texas), the Bakken (North Dakota) and the Appalachian basin (Ohio and Pennsylvania).
Equinor has approximately 1,000 employees in the U.S. with main offices in Houston (TX), Austin (TX) and Stamford (CT).
